Muttropolitan Management - Canine Behaviour with Alexis Aitchison

16/08/2025

“Modern society risks rewarding confidence rather than competence. We mistake the loudest voices for the best voices”

If I p*ss in ur glass of water and add loads of sugar does it remove the p**s? If I make u a pie full of 💩 but add some steak does it remove the 💩?

No amount of masking or adding something good removes the underlying bad or difficult! No amount of adding something good paints over the bu****it. The dog world is unfortunately full of it. It gets mind numbing some days but also hard to watch the dogs u care for and got into this to help and see them suffer.

To see the humans involved in the dog world just paint over the cracks and not read them properly but it’s ok bcos everything looks ok to those not in the know and the pat on the backs are addictive for those with the 2 legs. Choosing ego over welfare, ego over ethics, ego over morals, ego over education. Because according to those who are working with a precious life in their hands, a complex being of emotions, brain, behaviour, biology, and a real life living soul, science and education with the dedication can go to hell bcos all that is needed is the know it all standing in front of the dog, of course usually helped with the tap of a button.

Dunning-Kruger effect

08/07/2025

Such a good post, a new name, new home, and new human doesn’t erase the past for human or dog, any living being comes with a history. And for those with a complex one they need understanding and a place of safety. Even when it feels like it’s all going good. Building trust, teaching good choices to build confidence working through experiences together, and having that place of safety that builds connection and a great bond. Fostering/adoption is a lovely journey, but it’s a journey, one that needs thought through and preparation, as it’s a lifestyle change for both dog and human.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FvcDTGtYk/?mibextid=wwXIfr

“Why are you still like this? We took you in, gave you a home, gave you our name, you’re supposed to be like us now. What's WRONG with you?”

I heard these words as a foster teen, from a family that later rejected me because I couldn't be who they'd imagined I'd be.

I had the audacity to come with a past that didn’t disappear when they signed some paperwork, a nervous system with memories, and a neurotype they didn’t even try to understand. Their early promises turned to pressure and conflict, and then they just stopped loving me.

This isn’t just my story. It’s a common experience for many “rehomed” kids. And I’m reminded of it every time I hear about a rehomed dog being returned or passed along because it didn’t meet expectations or wasn’t “a good fit.”

Do those dogs feel the same confusion, stress, and fear as human kids when placements fall apart? From what we know about dogs, they probably do.

So we need to do better.

Better preparation. Better understandings. Better support for all involved. And much better management of expectations.

Because even when foster/adoption works, even when its beautiful and uplifting and life changing in all the best ways, its still messy and complex and non linear. Because thats the reality of sharing life with another living being.

We’re all shaped by our genetics and our histories. Those things don’t just disappear because we want them to, or because a placement seems like a good fit on paper.

For placements to truly succeed, we have to work with those realities, not against them. Real belonging happens when we accept and support each other as we are, past and all. And a real Home is having a place where you’re allowed to be yourself, work through the hard stuff, and know you’re still wanted.

Whichever species you are.

29/06/2025

SECTION 3 DDA CASE v POLICE SCOTLAND

This court case was an aggrevated section 3 case that occurred back in April 2021, this beautiful girl was facing destruction by the courts, which I was instructed on and thankfully we won against Police Scotland in June 2024- no destruction order and she had no restrictions put on her either.

I’ve been meaning to post to highlight how not only chaotic and complex it was but how the humans involved can get it so very wrong! It was a case that was thought to be difficult to win but we did 🙂

The media/newspapers at the time with their headlines such as “POLICE OFFICERS SAVAGED BY DOGS FOR TRYING TO BREAKUP LOCKDOWN PARTY” which couldn’t be anymore wrong, do no favours in causing hysteria to the public and putting certain breeds in a bad light! Not only were the media putting out the wrong info during the case but also after, stating my assessment carried out at the dogs home, her public tests, along with the owners home report, and my court report was all carried out by the Aberdeen dog warden, which again, couldn’t be further from the truth.

The dog world in regards to the police, the courts, the wardens and the media is a lost internal communication system! It is such a saddening system, that can get it all so very wrong for our dogs and it really needs to be stepped up and cleaned up! We all have a responsibility when working with the dogs caught up in the justice system, we could be working together to create a well functioning system for good!! We have a huge human made mess! The dogs are the easy part.

Now to the case……

This beautiful girl is Bella and she had just moved into her new home a week prior to the incident. Which is unsettling for any dog emotionally, mentally, and biologically. It’s a lot for their body to handle and they don’t get a chance to totally relax daily, even after sleep. It can keep them in a state of arousal taking longer to decompress. Which means it’s easier for them to trigger stack to all the environmental pressures, and that can cause a hyper vigilant state of alertness.

Pair this with Bella having just had major surgery in the February 2021 for mastitis and having necrotic tissue removal, removal of internal masses and part of her uterus removed, she was left with a very large scar down her torso, with only three ni***es remaining. So she was still recovering hormonally and physically. We know that pain and health are a major contributing factor to behaviour and must always be considered for how dogs can react.

On the evening of the incident, during lockdown restrictions, Bella’s owners who have a large family, after helping each other that day moving some things ended up with a house full of around 8+ family members. Police attended asking them to leave the premises, of which the owners asked for some time to clear out and make arrangements, for taxis to be called etc.

Police, unbeknown to the owners, made arrangements for additional police units to meet in a nearby lane surrounding the property, making the decision for multiple police officers to enter the property from the front and rear door. The situation then becoming chaotic and volatile.

No planning made for the multiple dogs they were aware of inside the property, no dog unit called, no thoughts made for how this would affect the dogs when dozens of police officers piled into the home with dogs running freely inside and the chaos this would cause. No thought for public safety, if dogs spill out into the street from these decisions that were made by the police, yet owners would be punished for the very thing!

When police officers scaled the rear garden fence heading to the back kitchen door, very aware of the multiple dogs in the kitchen, Bella ran out of the door barking close to their legs. The police officers labeled her aggressive for this and retreated back to the fence, but still decided to enter the home when Bella went back inside. The police officers passing the other dogs and people in the kitchen area, continuing through to the front of the home where a disturbance was happening from the other officers entering the front of the property.

Which was Bella’s owner, who was now in an altercation in a narrow confined hallway at the front of the home, with lots of officers, other family members and lots of shouting and physical chaos. Bella’s owner was being held against the wall by officers and handcuffed but at the same time being told to get his dog under control. Bella was described as barking and agitated by Police Scotland officers and although her owner wasn’t allowed to move, he was told if he didn’t get her under control she would be fu£&ing sprayed!

A police officer used their foot to “usher” (their words), although we could also say pushed Bella back into the living room area, whilst instructing the owner to get her under control. Where they seen someone grab hold of her collar and they believed she wouldn’t be free again.

However, just a moment later Bella was heard barking and the officer saw her run into the hallway and lunging and biting an officer on the leg. The same officer who done so before “ushered” her back again with their foot into the living room and gave clear instructions to get the dog under control.

But the chaos continued for Bella when her owner was pushed during a struggle by one of the officers out of the hallway and out the front door, resulting in three police officers and Bella’s owner falling down some quite steep concrete steps and onto the narrow gravel path. One of the officers who fell onto Bella’s owner felt a sharp pain in their leg before seeing Bella run away onto the grass in front of them. Bella had fell amongst them all. Again the officer shouting for someone to get the dog under control as they describe her as agitated while there was a struggle going on on the ground, and legs were being kicked in amongst all of this.

The altercation of falling out of the doorway would cause a startled fear response for Bella, and it is at this point everything in the situation becomes over stimulating, the combined continued threats of sudden unexpected, scary strangers in her home, the sights, sounds, smells, with the unpredictability, she has escalated from behaviours of barking, frantically running around, nothing is working, to nipping and the main point is making the scary concerning threat go away out of her safe space. She is now caught up in the altercation in the confined hallway.

To then being described as running around barking, agitated, giving one bite, and then pushed away, shows she had no real intent of doing damage and she was also startled when as already mentioned the multiple scary unpredictable strangers appeared from nowhere entering her home, which is her place of safety. There is no sustained attacks. There is no savage attacks!

Fortunately for Bella she does have good bite inhibition, using her barking behaviour, and nipping as no more than a reaction and warning. There was no true intention of harm. Most healthy domestic dogs exercise bite inhibition if put in a situation to bite. Most dog bites are escalated warnings without intent to injure. The intent is to create distance between the dog and what they perceive as a threat.

Bella reacted through a root of fear, anxiety, stress and being startled, a dog dealing with a sudden high state of stress with her home invaded, a place of safety, and combined chaos from all the humans involved in the incident. Her physical pain and health also a large contributing factor. Pain causes a low tolerance threshold and changes in behaviour. An easy-going dog being faced with the threat of being touched, or startled with someone in their flight path will likely show reactive displays. When these communication signal attempts are ignored, such as barking, lunging or running forward, the dog’s signals will escalate up the ladder to using their teeth as they only have their mouth to defend themselves.

I repeat this so much, but every experience a dog is exposed to shapes and moulds their behaviour. They rely on us for everything, learning from us and the environment we create around them and put them in. Behaviour is fluid and they react to everything in their environment, and it is up to us to teach them and give them the correct guidance.

Bella had a great temperament on her assessment. She was an affectionate and friendly girl despite having two strangers present on that day. She has a good bond with both owners and her family, and she is a well-balanced dog living in a multi-dog household.

It is very clear the incident was chaotic. Her owner admitted his demeanour and disturbance had contributed to Bella behaving the way she had on the evening of the incident

However, for me all the humans involved on the evening of the incident are responsible. Everyone contributed to how this beautiful girl reacted. From the multiple humans asked inside to get the dog under control while her owner was physically restrained and unable to take control of Bella. The whole incident was chaotic.

We have humans behaving in a chaotic manner who have logic and reason and yet the dogs who are guided by humans and rely on us for everything in their daily needs and environment are not allowed to react amongst the chaos that is caused by those very humans?! They are just to be destroyed?!

Our aim can only be to equip our dogs with the skills to allow them to adjust and behave in an acceptable way in our society. Resulting in a dog that is better able to cope with new experiences, and unpredictable or fearful situations.

So therefore, we as the humans must take a common-sense approach to human judgement and error.

It’s pretty evident that Bella did not carry out “savage” attacks, and it’s pretty evident that Bella did not carry out “sustained” attacks!

Police Scotland must look at how their own behaviour affects the outcome in situations in regards to our dogs. To de-escalate not escalate. This is not the only occasion. To seek destruction on a dog in which their own behaviour is a huge factor in the cause is ludicrous. Things must change.

A huge thanks to Debbie at Just Defence Law on this case. Great firm to work with. And a huge thanks for the person assisting me at assessment.

Alexis 🐶

25/06/2025

RESCUE CRISIS…
A group I was brought in to admin many years ago to help the dog rescue side of things now seems to have been deserted by the admin for whatever unknown reasons. I’ve not been around on social media or the group mentioned, but have had many msgs reporting posts/comments of that group just recently and having looked through, it’s very concerning. Dogs posted free to good home ready to go that day, people asking for a dog or pup no matter the size/breed/etc just desperate for a dog to be delivered, and breeders/owners of a dog for whatever reason the dog can no longer stay, offered up to whoever without a second thought for the consequences. So hence my post below!

THROW AWAY SOCIETY…

So many dogs, dozens a day “free to good home” or needing to go. I believe we now live in a throw away society, a society that seems to have owners who lack tolerance, are quick to judge, give blame and demand perfection! The dog is the problem and we need a quick fix to rectify that! All of which is detrimental to the effect on dogs!!

Not every dog needing a new home has uncaring humans, they may genuinely have had a change in circumstances, ill health or a death in the family etc. But the ones with the throw away attitude are the ones who tend to bypass seeking any expert help or realising they are a contributing factor to the problem. Or they jump from numerous trainers/behaviourists with the words of “WE TRIED THAT AND IT DIDNT WORK” instead of sticking with consistency and listening.

The dog ends up “free to good home” advertised on social media and selling sites, dumped, in a pound or a rescue shelter! The problem is not helped but passed on.
Instead of passing the problem on think about seeking ethical canine experts in the behavioural or dog training field. Find help to work with the problem first and try everything you can as you owe it to the dog!!

WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE ADOPTING A DOG….

Knowing the breed traits and characteristics of the dog is important but so is knowing that dogs are individuals with their own personalities and are sentient beings, and like us they have their own thoughts and feelings! They can suffer anxiety, depression, boredom, can be defensive, withdrawn and anti-social or they can be joyful, friendly, outgoing and content. Like us we have the canine introverts and the extroverts.

In their previous home they may have been abused or frightened. Or their owners may have asked too high expectations from them, family members may have caused confusion with conflicting messages or they may have been an unwanted gift and ignored, causing boredom and frustration.

All these factors can create stress in a dog, a stressed dog is when unwanted behaviours develop. Most behaviour problems are more of a problem for the human owner than the dog. For the dogs, these unwanted behaviours may have been keeping them safe, helped them to deal with stress, gain food or overcome that boredom etc.

Dogs need to be given the motivation to change and the opportunity to learn an alternative behaviour using positive, ethical methods of training. It’s important to separate human emotion from the dogs behaviour and focus on teaching them what they can do, what’s wanted from them, and what they are allowed to do rather than constantly telling them what they can’t do!

When welcoming a new dog into the home with no previous history known, keep in mind that the dog will have picked up previous behaviours from that home, they may not have had the developmental social skills at an early age, and they are more than likely highly stressed and anxious in their new home. They might be fearful or suffer separation anxiety. It’s important when training your dog, to create a positive, secure, confident and rewarding relationship between human and dog. Building trust.

Like us they have good days and bad days and their ability to focus and learn can vary. They are greatly affected by stress which can lead to them developing compulsive behaviours as ways of coping and this has to be kept in mind while training. Medical conditions and pain can also influence their behaviour. Dogs have less tolerance when in pain. Diet and environment are also factors. We need to accept as humans the influence we have on our dogs and how we shape their behaviour since they are little Einstein’s in reading our human body language.
Once we as humans understand this we have a better chance on building positive solid relationships between us and our amazing four legged furry friends!

It’s human nature to make mistakes and dogs can make mistakes too!! They are not punishing you by behaving badly, they just need guidance and shown how to change the unwanted to the wanted!

FINDING THE DOG FOR YOU….

Rescues are filled with thousands of dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages. Full breeds as well as mixed breeds, all desperately needing a home!!
A good rescue will not only spend time getting to know you and your lifestyle, your experience and the sort of dog you are wanting, but will also be able to offer advice to help you make the best choice.

Staff, whom are usually volunteers, should spend time with you going over detailed home check forms. This will take into account how long the dog would be left alone daily, the exercise the dog will get, the home set up, garden set up (if you have one), if you are willing to put in training if needed, if you are able to cope with any settling in behaviour issues that may arise, and that financially, you can meet the dogs needs. They will also ask if there are any young children in the home or if there are visiting children. The rescue should also ask to see ID, and proof of your lease (if rented) that it allows for pets. A physical home check will also be done in addition to the form. This is not just a tick box of your home, this is to make sure it is a suitable environment for the dog and much more.

The dogs in the rescue will also have been assessed to find out what home would suit them best, and what type of human would suit them best. How they behave around other animals, how they are with food and toys etc. Dogs should also have had a veterinary health check, been given vaccinations and been wormed etc. If the dog is not already neutered, then a contract will be signed agreeing you will neuter the dog, usually within a specific time frame. The agreement between the rescue and you as the new foster/adopter will also be signed to say that the dog must be returned to the rescue if there are any problems, and can’t be re-homed by you. The home, lifestyle and the humans in the home must suit the dogs needs as much as the humans want the dog to suit theirs!

If you are interested in fostering/adopting a specific breed, contact breed specific rescues. Contact many rescue shelters until you match with the right dog for you and what matters most, is you are the right match for the dog and his/her needs!

Dogs in rescue shelters are in there for many reasons, through no fault of their own but down to their owner’s circumstances changing, or their owner not anticipating how much work an adolescent dog is. The puppy stage is gone and the novelty wears off. Some are in the rescue shelter because their owner had an illness or passed away. Others are strays which have been abandoned or unclaimed and have came from the pound to the rescue shelter, so therefore had a lot of movement in kennels.

The love and gratitude of a rescue dog is a truly wonderful feeling. Some work may need put in with regards to training and some will need a little time to settle. But giving a rescue dog a warm loving home will change their life. And yours!!

Remember that some dogs will be stressed with living in the kennels if kennel based, but be a completely different dog once they are outside the kennel, so ask if they have an outside area you can spend some time with the dog to get to know them better.

Don’t rush, if you feel the dog is not for you or you are not experienced enough to take on one that needs a little training or behaviour modification then please don’t take that dog on. Continue the search for the right dog for what you can offer!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE GETTING A DOG…..

🐶Can you afford a dog?
🐶Can you afford to make your home doggy safe proof?

🐶Can you afford necessities a dog needs such as food, bowls, bedding, toys?

🐶Can you afford insurance or have the financial ability if the dog ends up injured or needing emergency vets?

🐶Preventative health care? Regular vet bills? Kennels/boarding if you go on holiday? Dog walker if needed?

🐶Do you have enough time for a dog? A dog needs sufficient exercise (mental/physical), training, grooming, playing and interaction every day! If you want to come home and put your feet up and expect the dog to entertain itself after being alone all day, then maybe rethink.

🐶What hours do you work? If you’re out all day it’s not fair to get a puppy or young dog who will get bored, lonely, miserable and more than likely develop behavioural problems. Many older rescue dogs have much to offer and are happy to doze off when you’re not around!

🐶Where do you live? Does your lease allow you to have a dog? Research breeds too as some dogs require a more rural environment that allows a lot of exercise and some dogs do just fine in busy cities.

🐶Who shares you home? Do you have children? Is everyone in the home onboard for training and caring for the dog? If anyone in the home is against the idea of a dog, resentment and tensions can be picked up by the dog and lead to behavioural problems.

🐶 Do you have other pets in the home, will they be ok with a new dog and what effect will it have on them? If you have a dog with behavioural problems, please don’t get another dog hoping to solve it!

Dogs are amazing! They bring so much to our worlds and deserve so much more from us. We need to treat them with respect, understanding, love and compassion and we will get back tenfold what we put in!
Dogs are as unique as us humans and can teach us so much 🥰

15/04/2024

Staffie Smiles Rescue Dobby 💙
Dobby has hyperactivity/hyperarousal, persistent restlessness, can't sit still which leads to seeking destructiveness and his stress all coming through his mouth as soon as there is added pressure or unfamiliarity to his environment.
From Dobbys behaviour, it could be he that he comes from non professional working lines with unscrupulious training methods used. And for dogs like this it leaves them with enhanced alertness to their environment, always having to be more vigilant combined with high activity levels when out in the field and then isolated when back to the kennel. Add that in with his short attention span and impulsiveness he is unable to concentrate on one task before he's distracted by something else. We see this when we add any new or even known person to our walks in the field, or anything new to his environment - he just cant cope.

When dogs like Dobby are restrained, punished or forced to do anything, they become more aroused and unmanageable and their hyperactivity becomes worse. They are really responsive to rewards but they need to be rapid and continuous to keep the attention at first, no long delays. We have been engaging Dobby through scent and rewards, building the time between asking for a "sit" and rewarding, not for obedience but to work on his self-control and hyper-state one second at a time. Using his nose and building on the seconds between his rewards when asking him for that waiting time when sitting and walking with us, has worked on getting him to make his own choices of "shake offs" and not raggy leads/clothing etc. To be able to come back down from threshold himself.

It takes a little learning that its "tug toy only and not human" when we get started 😁 - but now we're using the tools and skills he already has and loves and wants to use to our advantage. He can use the tug when he is stressed, it can give him a release of that physical energy, and it will give him a focus.

Teaching him the cues "drop" and "take" and we will move on to "leave" next. We
can then use these in daily life. But all a bigger goal of working on his distractibility, impulsiveness, self-control, focus, engagement and neuro in the brain! 💙🥰

Check out MuttropolitanMngmnt’s video.

08/04/2024

07/04/2024

Dobby and Storm doing some lead bonding and distance work again today. Both done super well! Starting a Staffie Smiles Rescue friendship chain. They gonna recruit Hope soon 💙🥰

07/04/2024

This beautiful and cheeky little lady Staffie Smiles Rescue Jazz was a little superstar on Friday despite all the rain that wouldn’t let up for all the doggos! She got the lighter of the rain thankfully so we were able to do a little more than the others. We worked on some different stuff while out and we done some T-Touch and massage which she loved, she kept putting her wee head in my hand to relax into. We also tuned into the clicker so she knew “clicker gives me treat 🍪 “ and then we progressed the clicker training further, which she picked up super fast! So no matter where she was or what she was doing that when she heard the “click” she was to head over to me and park her gorgeous little self in front of me so she could give me the “look at me 👀 “ and get her treat. We then used this while adding in some triggers and stimuli up in the court yard near the other dogs and peeps! She was brilliant! Lots of calming work and keeping everything relaxed! I love this little cheeky adorable gargoyle 🥰

04/04/2024

Can't beat a Staffie Smiles Rescue doggo day! Storm and Dobby leading the way showing how its done on the dog intros and walking together! Jazz choosing the music on the cassette tape to set the mood for the day! King putting us into a trance to make sure all the treats go his way, Olivia making sure we got the right brand of cream for the summer strawberries for when the weather heats up! And Storm and Hope practising their best camera angles incase any model comps or photshoots come up that we might need to enter them into! 💙🥰🐾

23/03/2024

🥰🥰🥰 Storm 🥰🥰🥰
Most should remember this adorable and beautiful little lady! Haven’t done an update on her in a little while.

Storm was seized by police back in 2021 and spent around a year in kennels with no human contact within the inside of her kennel and no walks until I had been asked to assess her in 2022. She was assessed prior to this by another behaviourist and said to be kennel guarding and didn’t get a favourable report even though they had not entered her kennel nor had they gave any true assessment. However, staff at the kennels had been great with her, taking the time to develop a bond from outside the kennel, giving her treats and getting a high-five and some lovely sits for them outside her kennel gate. Understandably with a section 3 DDA case they were not able to take the risk entering kennels with dogs that were to pose a risk to them. She had came from a volatile environment and a complex case. Thankfully she was given a lifeline. Link to her story is at the bottom.

Fast forward to today and this little lady is a beautiful, gentle and happy girly. Everyone at her Staffie Smiles Rescue family love her and she will be ready soon to move on to her retirement home. She is looking for somewhere quiet but with forever humans that will still be fun and give her a happy and fulfilling life, because although this girly is 8 years old and physically she might be aging don’t tell her that! She can still keep up with the young ones no problem, thinking that she mentally has years shaved off her age (bit like myself 😂)! Trying to tell her to slow down and she can’t do spring jumps on those back legs of hers because they don’t work like they used to is pointless because she tells us otherwise!

She loves her treats and food, it’s the fastest sit we’ve ever seen and she still does her high-5 without being asked. She offers the spring jumps and butt bumps too but we’re trying to calm them and save the legs which is a work in progress.

She is an amazing walker on the lead, and she looks ever so pretty while doing so.

She is full of mischief and when things aren’t moving fast enough initially when getting ready to go, she will do a good chimp impression so u can see how clean her teeth are while giving the vocals of “get a move on” 😬

She really is a beautiful soul. Loved by all her Staffie Smiles Rescue family. We want to start putting feelers out for a retirement home for her. Preferably in a quiet home and quiet area. Not a busy home either. And pet free. We will be posting her updates on the staffie smiles rescue page over the next little while so please keep an eye on this.

Scotland only for homes.

Link to case: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=763001938201532&id=100034751996706

Link to last update: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=796354364866289&id=100034751996706